Mechanism for handling articles



' C C. BLAKE.

MECHANISM FOR HANDLING ARTICLES.

APPLlCATlON FILED SEPT; 13. 1917.

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UNITED STATES CHARLES C. BLAKE, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

MECHANISM FOR HANDLING ARTICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug-23,1921;

Original application filed March 27, 1916, Serial No. 86,958. Dividedand this application filed September 13, 1917. Serial No. 191,102.

Handling Articles, of which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates to mechanisms for handling articles to selectthem in a predetermined manner, arrange them in'a certain orderoroperate upon them in any desired manner. The invention will be hereindisclosed as embodied in a mechanism for selecting tacks or otherfastenings and arranging them for delivery to a fastening insertingmechanism. The invention aims to devise a simple and reliable mechanismof this character which can be economically manufactured and will not beliable to get out of order. To this end the invention involves certainnovel combinations of parts and details of construction, the nature ofwhich will be readily understood from the following description of theembodiment of the invention at present preferred and the novel featuresof which will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a tack handling mechanism embodyingthis invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view of the mechanism shown in Fig.1 certain parts being shown in side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the rotating hopper for the tacks withthe front plate removed;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the tack raceway;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross sectional view on the line 6-6, Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of one of the buckets or pickers with which thehopper is equipped; and

Fig. 8 is a rear elevation of the device shown in Fig. 7.

The presentapplication is a division of my co-pending application SerialNo. 86,958, filed March 27, 1916, for improvements in heel lastingmachines. The machine shown in said application includes mechanism forlasting the upper at the heel end of a shoe, automatic mechanism fordriving 'a series of tacks into the upper to hold it in its lastedposition and a raceway which delivered the tacks to said drivingmechanism. The machine also included the tack handling mechanism of thepresent application. -This mechanism comprises a storage raceway,normally filled with tacks, and a mechanism for selecting tacks from asupply and delivering them to this raceway; The raceway of the tackinserting machine is designed to be brought into engagement with thestorage raceway at certain times and receive from the latter raceway anew supply oftacks.

In the drawings the raceway ofthe tack inserting machine is indicatedat'l and the storage raceway at 2. The latter raceway is looselyreceived between a pair of vertical plates 3 rising from an extension 4of the column 5 of the machine.- The raceway 2 is yieldingly heldbetween the plates 3 by a leaf spring 6, one end of which is secured tothe raceway and'the other end of which is secured to the plate 3 bya'pair of screws 7 secured to one of the plates 3. The raceway 2supports the heads of the tacks which are covered by a plate 8 spacedfrom the raceway. The tacks in the'storage raceway 2 are normally heldtherein by'a gate 9 which is pivoted at 10 on one of the plates 3. The

gate 9 is normally held in tack-retaining position by a leaf spring 11secured to the back of the gate and arranged to engage a pin 12 on oneof'the plates? The shanks of the tacks depending through the roadwaynear the end of the raceway 2 are alined with the roadway by a pair ofwedge-shaped blocks 13, (Fig. 6) which are supported atthe lower ends ofleafsprings 14 supported at their upper ends by a bridge 15 secured" tothe raceway 2. When the raceway of the fastening inserting machine(above mentioned) is brought to the fastening-storage station a fin 16on said raceway engages a apart, thus permitting the alined tacks toslide from the storage raceway 2 into the raceway of the fasteninginserting machine.

When the latter raceway is withdrawn from the raceway 2 the gate 9 andblocks 13 return to their initial positions under the influence of thesprings 11 and 14, respectively, in readiness to act upon a new lot oftacks delivered to the raceway 2 for storage.

In order to supply the storage raceway 2 with tacks the column 5supports a hopper 17 which is rotatably mounted on one end of a stubshaft 18 secured to the column. A gear 19, secured to the hopper 17 andloosely mounted on the shaft 18, meshes with a pinion 20, on ashaft21,journaled in the column 5 and driven from a vertical shaft 22 bybevel gears 23 and 24 on the shafts 22 and 21, respectively. The hopper17 is thus continuously rotated during the operation of the machine andkeeps the mass of tacks in the bottom of the hopper inmotion. The tacksare inserted in the hopper through a filling funnel 25 which is pivotedon one of the plates 3 so that it maybe tipped back to expose an opening26 in the front face of the hopper for the purpose of inspection orrepair. 7

Two buckets or pickers 27, each of which carries a pair of rails 28spaced apart to provide a tack slot 29 therebetween, are mounted in thehopper. The buckets 27 are each provided with sloping walls 30 designedto direct the points of the tacks caught by the buckets into the slot29. 'VVith this construction the buckets 27 are alternately passedthrough the mass of tumbled tacks in the hopper. Some of the shanks ofthe tacks will be' deflected by the sloping walls 30 into the slot 29and the heads of these tacks will rest on the rails 28 until, during therotation of the hopper, the ends of the rails register with a curvedstationary raceway 31 mounted on the end of the stationary shaft 18.Then the tacks assembled on the rails 28 will slide therefrom into theraceway 31. The lower end of the raceway 31 and the upper end oftheraceway "2 are separated by a gap 32 (Fig. 2) and the inclines of theraceways are such that the tacks delivered to the raceway 31 will jumpthe gap and pass into the raceway 2 under the force of gravity. When thestorage raceway 2 is full of tacks the tacks from 31 spill into thehopper 17. I

In order to insure. that no tacks will remain on the rails 28 after theypass the point the raceway of registration with the raceway'31 the lowerends of the rai1s28 are permitted to spring apart as shown in Fig. 7after the pomt of registration with the raceway 31 has been passed, todump all the tacks remaining on the rails into the hopper. To wedge themback into a position in which they will properly support the heads ofthe tacks the support for the raceway 31 is provided with a curved way33 (Fig. 3) having sloping walls at its entrance. The ends of the rails28 engage the sloping walls and are wedged thereby toward each otherinto the dotted line position (Fig. 7 The way 33 then holds the rails 28with the proper space between them until the point of registration withthe raceway 31 is passed when the rails 28 pass out of the way 33 andspring apartto dump any tack still held on the rails. The entrance tothe way 33 is guarded by a pair of spring metal flaring wings 34: whichprevent atack from jamming between the" entrance to the way 33 and therails 28 V In order to prevent breakage of the parts in case a tackbecomes jammed in the mechanism a friction drive is provided for thehopper 17 For this purpose the shaft 21 is made in two parts (Fig. 2),each part having a collar 35 thereon. Between these collars a leatherdisk 36 is pinched, the condoor which is held in position by a'boltpass-- ing through the hole 38. This door normally closes the openingbut provides a 'convonient means for cleaning out the hopper wheneverdesired for any reason, as for instance, when changing from one sizeorstyle of tack to another. On such occasions itis merely necessary torotate the hopper until the door is downward and the'nre'mox e it afterfirst removing the bolt which holds it, whereupon thetacks in the hopperwill fall through the opening 37 on to an inclined chute 39, (Fig. 1,)which will direct them to one side where they can be caught in aconvenient receptacle.

While I have herein shown and described the best embodiment of theinvention of which I am at present aware it is obvious I hopper andarranged to pass through the articles tumbled iii-the hopper, saidbucket being provided with a disten'sible end arranged to register withthe stationary raceway at times during the rotation of the hopper,substantially as described. .f f

2. A handling mechanism,having, in combination,1a rotary hopper: astationary raceway therein; and buckets carried'by the hopper andarranged to pass through the articles tumbled in the hopper, each buckethaving a distensible end arranged to register with the stationaryraceway at times during the rotation of the hopper, substantially asdescribed.

8. A handling mechanism, having, in combination, a rotary hopper, aslotted bucket carried thereby arranged to pass through the articlestumbled in the hopper, and deflecting walls on the bucket for deflectingthe points of the articles caught by the bucket toward the slot therein,substantially as described.

4. A handling mechanism, having, in combination, a rotary hopper; astationary raceway therein; and a bucket carried by the hopper andarranged to pass through the articles tumbled in the hopper, said bucketbeing provided with a pair of spaced rails arranged to register with thestationary raceway at times during the rotation of the hopper, the freeends of the spaced ra ls being distended after they pass the point ofregistration with the stationary raceway, substantially as described.

5. A handling mechanism, having, in combination, a rotary hopper; astationary raceway therein; a bucket carried by the hopper and arrangedto pass through the articles tumbled in the hopper, said bucket beingprovided with a pair of spaced rails arranged to register with thestationary raceway at times during the rotation of the hopper, the freeends of the spaced rails being distended after they pass the point ofregistration with the stationary raceway; and means for contracting thedistended rails as they approach the point of registration with thestationary raceway; substantially as described.

6. A handling mechanism, having, in combination, a support, a stationaryraceway carried thereby; a hopper rotatably mounted on the support; abucket carried by the hopper and arranged to pass through the articlestumbled in the hopper, said bucket being provided with a pair of spacedrails arranged to register with the stationary race way at times duringthe rotation of the hopper, the free ends of the spaced rails beingdistended after they pass the point of registration with the stationaryraceway; and a track on the support for contracting the distended railsas they approach the point of registration with the stationary raceway,substantially as described.

7. A handling mechanism, having, in combination, a rotary hopper; and abucket carried by the hopper and arranged to pass through the articlestumbled in the hopper,

said bucket being provided with a pair .of spaced rails the free ends ofwhich are distensible, substantially as described.

8. A handling mechanism, having, in combination,arotary hopper; and abucket carried by the hopper and arranged to pass through the articlestumbled in the hopper, said bucket being provided with a pair of spacedrails the free ends of which are normally sprung apart, substantially asdescribed.

9. A handling mechanism, having, in combination, a rotary hopper; astationary raceway therein; a bucket carried by the hopper and arrangedto pass through the articles tumbled in the hopper, provided with a pairof spaced rails, the free ends of which are normally sprung apart,arranged to register with the stationary raceway at times during therotation of the hopper; and means for contracting the free ends of thespaced rails as they approach the point of registration with thestationary raceway, substantially as described.

10. A handling mechanism, having, in combination, a raceway constructedto support and loosely embrace respectively the heads and shanks of thearticles handled, and a pair of spring-pressed blocks located at thedelivery end of the raceway for alining the shanks of the articles,substantially as described.

11. A handling mechanism, having, in combination, a raceway for thearticles handled, mechanism for holding the articles from sliding offthe racewav, mechanism for alining the shanks of the articles at the delivery end of the raceway, and means for operating said mechanisms torelease the articles in the raceway, substantially as described.

12. A handling mechanism, having, in combination, a raceway, a supporttherefor, a gate pivoted on the support constructed and arranged tonormally prevent the escape of the articles loaded on the raceway, abridge carried by the raceway, a pair of leaf springs depending from thebridge, and blocks mounted on the lower ends of the springs,respectively, for alining the shanks of the articles adjacent to thegate, substantially as described.

13. A handling mechanism, having, in combination, a raceway, a supporttherefor, a bridge carried by the raceway, a pair of leaf springsdepending from the bridge, and blocks mounted on the lower end of thesprings, respectively, for alining the shanks of the articles adjacentto the delivery end of the raceway, substantially as described.

14:. A handling mechanism, having, in combination a hopper; a stationaryraceway therein; and a traveling picker arranged to pass through thearticles in the hopper and provided with a distensible end arrangedtoregister with the stationary racewayat times during the travel of thepicker.

15. A handling mechanism, having, in 5 combination, a hopper; astationary raceway therein; and a traveling picker arranged to passthrough the articles in the hopper and provided" with a pair of spacedrails artended after they pass the point of regis-- tration With thestationary raceway.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES C. BLAKE.

